​Framingham Mayor Fails To Correct Obvious Water Billing Mistakes

The pain for condominium owners continues, as the city refuses to immediately correct egregious over-charging for water. Enough is enough!

Note: This is an updated version, as the initial estimate of 50 units at Windsor Green was incorrect. The number of units on one water meter is actually 194. 6 units are on another water meter. However, the argument and costs are only slightly changed by this correction, so all of the thrust of the piece remains the same. Thanks to Denise for this correction.

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It has been obvious for some time that the city has been overcharging condominium homeowners for water. A perfect example is the Windsor Green condominium complex in north Framingham.

When a new water meter for the complex was installed last year, instead of continuing to charge Windsor Green based on the average water usage for each condominium unit, the city charged at a much higher rate based on the total usage by the whole complex. The complex has 194 units on one water meter, so suddenly the rate went from that for a typical homeowner to that for a user using 194 times as much water per quarter. That is high volume commercial usage. Note that 6 other units are on another water meter, but that is a minor influence on the overall numbers, so we stick to looking at the 194 units on the one water meter.

What does that mean?

Water bills for Windsor Green condo owners more than doubled.

Here is how that worked.

From a public records request I made a while ago (2021-2010​), the water department figure for average annual water use by a residential unit is 55.6 HCF, where HCF = 100 cubic feet. Since water is billed quarterly, that means the average usage per quarter for a residential unit is about 14 HCF. 

Looking up the current city water & sewer rates​, shows that such usage falls in Tier 2 (13-27 HCF/quarter), where water costs $19.65/HCF.

However, at 194 times the volume, which is the way the city currently looks at usage for Windsor Green condo owners, you get 194 x 14 HCF = 2716 HCF for a quarter, which corresponds to Tier 5 ( over 750 HCF/quarter) and a cost of $44.75/HCF. 

The bottom line is that if you owner occupy a condominium at Windsor Green, you pay more than twice as much for your water as an owner of an equivalent single family home on a plot of land.

THIS IS OBVIOUSLY UNFAIR AND NEEDS IMMEDIATE FIXING.

Condo owners at Windsor Green are facing quarterly water bills of between $1,500 and $2,500 due on August 1st, 2024. Imagine the pain this is causing!

But you don't have to imagine, as 3 unit owners at Windsor Green stepped up with great public comments explaining the problems in crystal clear terms, at the City Council meeting on July 16, 2024.

I cannot argue better then these 3 local residents on:

1. The huge quarterly water bills which are causing a severe financial impact on Windsor Green condo owners.

2. The huge unfairness of the practice.

3.  The amazing inability of the city, and the Mayor in particular, to provide obviously needed relief.

4.  The incredibly unresponsive attitude of the city administration which has ignored abatement requests which have been filed, and failed to reply to emails from Windsor Green condo owners.

Here are these three remarkable public comments.

Framingham Resident Dawn Reynaud Argues for the City to Fix Its Egregious Water Billing Mistakes

Framingham Resident Stacey Wilgoren Argues for the City to Fix Its Egregious Water Billing Mistakes

Framingham Resident Lewis Orsan Argues for the City to Fix Its Egregious Water Billing Mistakes

These community members show a very high decision making IQ, as the city shows its abysmally low decision making IQ.

It is clear that the city does not have the inhouse expertise to solve a billing problem which has been obvious for a year. It is also apparent that 8 months after prior Chief Financial Officer, Louise Miller, identified the problem in her report filed with the Mayor on her departure, the city has no idea how big the problem is.

What if Windsor Green is simply the tip of the iceberg?

The city needs to hire one or more competent staff who are expert in water & sewer billing systems to get control of the situation. Hiring a consultant to understand the city's billing system is no solution for the longer term.

We need inhouse staff to understand and run the system.

But more importantly, the arithmetic of the Windsor Green case is obvious, as is the inequity.

The Mayor should intervene immediately and fix the Windsor Green condo complex billing mistakes and do the same for all other condo owners in the same situation.

In short order.

It's time for some leadership, not the kind of dithering around the problem shown in this set of comments by the Mayor in the City Council meeting on June 25, 2024.​

Framingham Mayor Argues How Complicated He Thinks the City Water Billing Problems Are